Air and Missile Defense: Defining the Future

Abstract

Since the development of the proximity fuze in 1942, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has been leading the nation in the development of air and missile defense capabilities to defend our military forces, our allies, and the nation. Throughout these 78 years APL has strived to solve many of the most critical challenges in air and missile defense and in doing so has made critical contributions to the nation. As we look toward APL’s centennial in 2042, global threats to our nation’s military, allies, and homeland are evolving at a pace that will significantly challenge today’s air and missile defenses. This article describes the grand challenges in future air and missile defense and how APL, by anticipating these future warfighting environments and leveraging technology innovations, is working to revolutionize air and missile defense to ensure our nation’s preeminence in the 21st century.